Track-gage.



J. A. McGUlRE.

TRACK GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.1913.

1,282,897. Patented 0013.29Q1918.

tion.

J'OHNIE A. MCGUIRE, OF (BUSHING, TEXAS.

TRACK-GAGE.

Application filed June 5, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHNIE A. MCGUIRE,

The general object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which is very simple, and which may be readily handled, and by which, after one rail is laid, the other rail may be forced positively into a proper relation to the first named rail and held in this relation until the second named rail has been spiked.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character with hand operated means for drawing the rails toward each other so constructed that considerable power may be secured to force the rails to gage.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a track gage constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an under side fragmentary plan view of one end of the bar 16.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a body having upwardly extending sides 11 forming a guideway. The middle portion of these sides is extended upward above the end portions and is provided with the oval openings 12. A guide block 13 is disposed between the sides 11 at one end thereof and at the other end and spaced above the body 10 is a bar 14 which is fixed to the sides in any suitable manner and which at its extremity extends downward and then inward as at 15.

Resting upon the body 10 and slidable therealon is a gage bar 16 which is longer than the body 10 and has V-shaped downwardly turned ends 17 one of these ends Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. 29, 1918.

Serial No. 238,341.

confronting the extremity of the rail clamping bar 14. Resting upon the gage bar 16 and sliding thereon is a rail clamping bar 18 which is reduced in thickness at its middle as at 19 so as to pass beneath the guide block 13 and which at its outer end is down- Wardly extended and then inwardly extended as at 20. In other words, this end of the rail clamping bar 18 is formed exactly like the end 15 of the clamping bar 14. The upper face of the bar 18 at its end remote from the lug or hook 20 is formed with a plurality of ratchet teeth 21.

, Mounted between the sides 11 for oscillation is a lever 22 which is bifurcated and pivotally mounted in this bifurcated portion of the lever are the two pawls 23 and 24, these pawls being pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the pivot pin 25 of the lever. The pawl 24 is provided with a.

laterally projecting pin 26 which extends out through the openings 12 whereas the pawl 23 is provided with the upwardly projecting pin 27, these pins permitting the pawls to be raised out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 21. A handle 28 is adapted tobe inserted in the socket formed in the upper-end of the lever 22 and forms an extension of this lever whereby the lever may be oscillated.

In the practical use of this device, the hooked portion 15 of the fixed bar 14 is engaged over a rail which has been previously fixed to the ties and the gage bar 16 is abutted against this rail. The hooked end 20 of the rail clamping bar 18 is now engaged with the other rail and then the lever 22 is oscillated to cause the rail clamping bar 18 to move toward the rail. clamping bar 14, thus drawing the second named rail ,inward until it is abutted against the extremity of the gage bar 16. When this occurs, the rails are in gage and the second named rail may be spiked to the ties.

It will be seen that the lever 22 and its pawls will exert considerable power upon the rail shifting and clamping bar 18 so that the second rail may be forced positively and strongly into abutting engagement with the adjacent end of the gage bar 16 and that even if there is a slight bend in the rail, the device is sufliciently powerful to force the rail firmly into its proper position and hold it there while the rail is being spiked. After the rail is spiked, the pawls may be released from their engagement with the ratchet and the rail clamping bar 18 be drawn outward, thus releasing the track gage from its engagement with the rails whereupon it may be moved to a new position for-a fresh operation. It will be seen that this deviceis Very convenient, and further that by its use rails may be positioned more quickly than by the use of: an ordinary gage bar and with greater accuracy. The ends oft-he bars 14 and 18 are hook shaped in order to engag over the rail and keep the gage from slipping off the rail. This device is also capable of forcing bent rails into position after the rails have become spread or distorted or may be used or lay ing new rails." WVith this gage, one man is able to do the work of two or three men fixed bar, and a longitudinally shiftable gage bar mounted upon the body and having ends adapted to be abutted against the rails of the track.

2. A. track gage comprising a body having a fixed rail engaging bar extending Copies of this patent may be obtained for from one end and adapted to engage around one rail of a track, a longitudinally'shiftable rail engaging bar extending from the other end of the body and adapted to engage around the other rail of a track, manually operable means for shifting the last-named rail engaging bar toward the first named railengaging bar, and a Sliding gage bar mounted upon the body and adapted to be abutted at its ends against the rails of the track.

3. A track gage comprising'a body havinga bar fixed thereto and extending from one end thereof-andformed with a down wardl'y an'd'inwardly turned hook adapted to engage beneath the head of a rail, a longitudinally shift'able. track engaging bar mounted upon the body and extending from 7 its other end and having: a downwardly: extending hookadapt'edtol engage over the head of a rail; manually operablemeans for shifting the last named bartoward or from the first named bar, and a: sliding: gagebar mounted upon theibody below the shiftable track engaging bar and having. its ends adapted tobe, abutted against the inside faces-o1 the heads: of parallel: rails;

In testimony whereof In hereunto afii'x my signature-in thepresence of two. Witnesses;

J OHNIE A. MGGUIRE. Witnesses:

N; H. Scorn-N;- LONNIE J1; RAUCHRISM;

five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner of Patents,-

Washington, D. G. 

